Notes / Commercial Description:
This Belgian-Style Golden Ale is rich in flavor and is designed to be a smooth and soothing sipping beer. Deep blonde in color, Coming Home 2011 uses rich malts balanced by a special Belgian yeast strain which adds notes of soft, peppery, clove-like spice character to the beer. Belgian candi sugar is used during the brewing process to give this ale a clean, easy drinking appeal. True to the Belgian tripel style, it carries deceivingly soft alcohol aromas. Don’t let the innocence fool you, this holiday ale is one to be respected. It will delight when shared with your favorite people during the holiday season and can also be cellared to warm you on any cold winter’s day. This beer should age gracefully and can be cellared for a year or more.

Wow, I was certainly not ready for this one. Comparable to some of the best Tripels out there, throw this one into a blind tasting you'd never know it was US brewed. The only thing I was looking for was a bit more carbonation, aside from that this one is a must.

Yellow pour, soft white head, nice lace/retention. Blast, whoa, this is one of the most pungent smelling Belgian yeasts I've ever come across. Wow. Was just too much, I'm sure there's some enthusiasts that probably love how big this is, so if you're reading this, you might know that my '2' rating could be awesome if you just love the dirtiest funkiest smelling belgian band aid phenolic yeast dragged through a box of dryer sheets.

Ridiculous amount of coriander and other spice rack stuff. Man this taste, its just overpoweringly unenjoyable, like rubbing alcohol mixed with lots of sagebrush, coriander, thyme, etc. . .who knows there might be some softer flavors like flowers or bananas in here, everything else is just such a path of scorched earth policy, who knows what this has otherwise.

Just not an enjoyable beer for me.

Someone brought this to the March Madness tasting. Nobody claimed it though. It was like one of those bad farts that just wafted over to my part of the table.

T: Follows the nose, honey sweetness, & candi-sugar dryness up front. Pineapple & a bit of booze is fairly dominant. Hay notes mix with acidic/sweet pineapple as this warms, some raw boozey notes as well. Finishes grassy & very sweet, but a nice overall crispness counters some off the sweetness (along with the grassyness)

I have been really excited about this beer lately. I bought it the other night at first as gift but couldn't bring myself to part with it. I never got my hands on it last year. Looks like a golden peach. Smells of apricot and orange. Tastes like a high hef. that has something to prove. Feel is really nice. Overall this is a high quality beer that deserves a second third and 52nd look. Great beer that fit into a great Christmas.

750 mL bottle pours a stunningly clear, light gold color with a moderate cap of white head. Not much for retention or lacing, but the clarity of this beer is truly amazing.

Nose has some mango and papaya fruitiness and a fair amount of alcohol. Light on the grains and hops are almost non-existent at this point. Smells like a good tripel.

If they were aiming for a good, fairly authentic tripel (which I think they were), this one hits close to the mark. A very nice, fruity yeast presence and a light grainy malt flavour. There may be some light spicing here, but Id be surprised if there was anything other than the yeast esters. Its still a little bit alcoholic and I disagree with the claim that it 'should age gracefully and can be cellared for a year or more'. Its already yeasty galore and the malts wont hold up over time. This is an interesting choice for a "Holiday Ale" but I find it to be a refreshing change of pace from the norm...leave it to Idaho of all places to make an innovative winter warmer. Not bad, glad I grabbed a couple of these last time I was in Kansas.

Enjoyed a 1 PINT 9.4 FLUID OUNCE w/ ChrisF in Alta, WY (bottle from the brewery). Poured from the Cheerful/Holiday labeled bottle w/ a red station wagon in front of the Tetons into a 16oz Table Wine Glass. Has BOTTLED ON ???? on the side of the label.

Aroma- A very complexed aroma comes around. Has a huge yeast note and malty background. Some fruit esters are included in the finish with also some sourness? Interesting!

Appearance- Pours a 2 finger head that has average retention. The body is a dark golden color with semi-hazing. Leaves suds behind on the glass.

Flavor- Malts come off very strong from the beginning of the drink. Citrus is the second attribute noted and has a light spicy hop character. Very easy going bitterness (light-medium) and has a semi-dry finish.

Mouthfeel- Medium Bodied, Light-Medium Carbonation, Smooth but Effervescent, and has a prickly finish with strong malts once again.

Overall Impression- Awesome flavor and power in this intense, Belgian style Tripel. Enjoyed it greatly and looking forward to the Coming Home 2010 now! If your able to find this guy, hold onto it for a while.

They call it a "Belgian Style Golden Ale," which describes it pretty accurately. Huge alcohol flavored perfume bomb that is still very appealing. Sweet with a tart flavor. Lavender, chardonnay, and saffron tastes. Really reminds me of Dogfish Head Midas Touch. Sharp, fragrant, and thoroughly aromatic. Hot along with malt intensity. More winey than beery, but it's a great sipping flavor.

Really rich with something like flaming butterscotch. Just a hint of sourness gives it an edge. Quite attractive in the Duvel tulip, with a bright golden color. From the 22 oz bottle.

Poured into a chalice a very nice cloudy dark golden yellow color, very nice carbonation, with a nice creamy one-finger white head, which leaves a nice medium size island, and some nice sticky lacing behind. The nose is malty, yeasty, with some nice citrus notes, with a nice spice note. The taste is malty, yeasty, very nice citrus/spice note. Medium body. Overall, a very nice brew. Recommeded.

Bottle pour into pint glass. Nice golden/yellow pour that is clean. A very generous 2+ finger white head that sticks around a bit. Smell is that of a Belgian/German ale. Nice hints of fruit, cloves, seasonal spices and a touch of booze. Taste is very nice and smooth. The fruits (grapefruit, mango, banana) hide the 9% quite well. Comes off a little like a tripel. Pretty complex and unique. Very refreshing. Feel was just okay. A bit too dry and thin. Comes off watery and weak. Overall- A pretty interesting beer. Like the taste and look. The fruits and dull hops make it very easy and somewhat sessionable for 9%. Smell and feel are a bit off, but it was a pretty good brew for a cold December evening. I would try the Holiday series again, price is a bit high too. Belgian style ale/tripel was quite nice and the spices/cloves were just right. Try one-